Leadership and Confrontation

Leadership and Confrontation

Dustin Anderson30 November 2018

Confrontation often gets a bad reputation.

It usually associates with a heated argument, strong opinions, stubborn opposition, and bad outcomes. And since so often this is true, leaders and followers both will avoid confrontation for the fear of the aforementioned results.

When done properly, however, confrontation produces healthy growth and positive influence for leaders and their followers. The root word of confrontation is confront, or in Latin from which it derives, “with” (con) “face” (front).

Do you see a problem that needs to be addressed? Face it. That is, confront it.

How can leaders utilize confrontation as a healthy, useful tool?

Phil 2:3-4: “Count your followers more significant than yourself.” Starting with humility, confront those you lead not as a means to an end result, but rather the primary means of the end result. Confrontation should empower, edify and equip -- never cripple, embarrass or confuse.

Eph 4:26: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,” Never let tension fester. When issues, disagreements, and mistakes happen, confront them before the tension turns into frustration and then into anger, and also before it permeates to other team members. As the leader, it’s your responsibility to confront in a timely manner.

Eph 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Leaders must continually remember God forgave you and your shortcomings, and he expects us to do the same to others. When our team fails, or one individual betrays another, forgiveness is our required response. Not only do we individually practice this, but we must lead by example to those who follow.

Titus 3:10:“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him…” Know when to say goodbye. Removing an individual or a group from a team due to their divisiveness or incompetence falls on said person’s or group’s responsibility, after you — the leader — have confronted them more than twice in humility, in a timely manner, and with love and forgiveness.

Confrontation should ultimately lead to edified, healthier relationships. As God pursued impossible measures to confront sin and death to restore humanity's relationship with Him, so too should leaders pursue such Holy measures and confront inevitable issues to restore relationships with their followers.

Dustin Anderson

From Louisiana, moved to eSwatini (Swaziland), and now living in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, Dustin and his wife, Alyssa, are an incredible power duo for Children's Cup. Dustin is an amazing leader, life of the party, major foodie, and coffee expert.